SORGHUM EXPERIMENTS ON THE GREAT PLAINS. 
portance in most seasons. There was a tendency at Hays, for ex- 
ample, for the 15-pound seedings to produce relatively coarse as well 
as taller plants. Many of the stalks of plants sown at the 15-pound 
rate were approximately half an inch in diameter, and a considerably 
greater number headed than in the thicker seedings. The diameter 
of stalk decreased proportionately with the increase in seeding rates, 
so that in the 75-pound seedings it averaged only about a quarter of 
an inch or very little more than that of vigorous Sudan grass. ( Fig. 
24.) Decreasing coarseness of stems is an advantage, but it was off- 
set in many cases by a more stunted growth. It is not uncommon 
for all the close-drilled seedings to head poorly or not at all during 
•droughty seasons, and in such cases the thicker the seeding rate the 
sooner have the plants ceased to grow and develop normally. 
All things considered, it appears that a rate of 30 to 45 pounds to 
the acre is desirable for close-drilled seedings of sorgo in that part 
Fig. 24.— Red Amber sorgo seeded in close drills at Hays, Kans., in 1915. The plat on the left was 
seeded at the rate of 15 pounds and that on the right at 75 pounds per acre. 
of the sorghum belt having less than 25 inches average annual rain- 
fall. The exact quantity of seed to use will vary within these limits 
according to the size of the seed. Sumac sorgo has about a third 
more seeds to the pound than Red Amber. Purity and germination 
of the seed as well as soil conditions at the time of seeding must also 
be considered. Under any conditions tending to prevent satisfactory 
germination in the area above specified, one might be justified in in- 
creasing the rate to 60 pounds. In more humid areas higher rates 
are preferred, usually from 1 to 2 bushels per acre. 
TIME OF CUTTING SORGHUM FOR HAY. 
Close-drilled seedings of Red Amber sorgo were used for experi- 
ments on the time of cutting at Hays. Kans., during the six years 
1917 to 1922, inclusive. Duplicate twentieth-acre plats were seeded 
at either 30 or 45 pounds per acre for each time ot cutting and the 
